Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1887-08-18
UNLOADING A BANANA VESSEL.

A Motley Lot of Jabhering, PerSpirinG
Dealers-Grades OF Fruit.
Forty years ago scarcely bunch Of
bananas came to New York by vessel.
Until ten years ago they were brought
here only in little brigs and schooners.
Now they come In great ocean steamers
only. The larger quantity Is received be-
tween May and September, but through
out the year the arrival OF banana laden
steamers win average four each week, or
say 200 per year. An average cargo Is
10000 bunches, and the bunches will each
average 200 separate pieces Of fruit. But
here was the Amicitia, from Baracoa,
Cuba, and 200 sweltering, half mad Italian
and 'dagoA Cuban fruit buyers. An en-
tire cargo is disposed OF as rapidly as il
somes out of the hold. In the old times
three to six days were required to unload
little schooner. Now q great steamer
win discharge a cargo of bananas in ten
hours. The consignee has notified every
dealer in the city, and they are nearly all
here, motley lot whose jabbering, ours
ing and perspiration are something ter
rible indeed. They swarm over the
steamers deck and drive bargains as
though their very immortal souls de-
pended on the higgle hagglng over that
load, or that bunch, of bananas.
Gangs of from eight to sixteen men are
required at each hatch, and these fellows
who work in the hold in the most fearful
stencil ever whitfield by human nose re-
ceive % cents an hour. They are the
lowest species of beings existing along the
docks. They possibly get two days work
week. That is enough. They live on
bananas, swill and garbage, sailor board
s.Nrr
pavements of South and West streets In
sodden, open-mouthed stupor, with less
manners and brains than swine Relays
are formed from the hold, and the punches
tossed thence, one ut time, being caught
on their way out by each man with hands
fat, palms upward and bowed forearms,
which act as sort OF pillowing for the
fruit.
The rapidity and safety of the move
ment of these punches are marvellous.
At each hatch on deck are tallyman for
the vessel, and tallyman who is also u
''selecter" for the consignee. The latter
grades the lunches as they come flying
from the hold with incredible swiftness
and accuracy. A few feet below on the
docks are scores of dealers wagons, and,
according to the grade, constant stream
of punches flows into each. In these they
are carried to the 'sweat rooms of the
wholesalers, where they are hung much
like curing tobacco, and kept at about ITO
degrees of heat night and day for from
three to five days, when the bunches,
which were originally livid green, are
ripened and transformed to the tempting
yellow clusters which lure us to the stalls
of Lorenzo the Magnilcent's descendants
upon the streets.
The grades are simply ''firsts, ''sec-
onds,' ''culls' and "ripes' "Firstsn
are punches containing the most and
finest fruit Seconds are all other
prime condition, marked table punches.
''Culls'' are the lowest grade fruit, and
"ripesn comprise the overripe and partly
decayed bananas. The ''culls'' are piled on
deck in freckled, unsightly heaps, and
you will have to wade ankle deep in
''ripesn until they are sorted and corded,
two tiers lengthwise, in old orange boxes,
one-quarter, a cargo possibly being in
this condition. The price secured for
bananas by the vessel load is about 81. ~
per bunch, and the retailer gets them at
$1.40 AS the lunches average 200 pieces
each, any one can estimate the profits in
the street banana trade.-Edgar L. Wake
man in Globe-Democrat.